It's Just a Phase

Alright.  I was prepared for the Terrible Two's...well...I was as prepared as a first time parent can be ;)  I had no idea what it would be like, but I knew something was coming.  The point is that I was expecting two to be a difficult age.  I thought (mistakenly) that if we survived two things would get better.  As my son approached age three I day dreamed of things getting easier.  In my mind three would be the turning point...an end to tantrums and testing.  The start of something less....chaotic.
To be honest I can't even say that I wasn't warned.  When other people told me that three was harder.  For some reason I thought that would never happen in my house....kind of like I thought I'd never get stretch marks, or cut my hair short to make it easier to deal with.  I thought three was harder for some people, but not for everyone...I was SURE three wouldn't be harder for my sweet little boy.

You may have already guessed by now that age three has not been a walk in the park.   I don't even know how to describe it.  Testing has been taken to a new level.  A level that involves talking back and doing things he KNOWS will get him in trouble.  A three year old can say things like "No YOU'RE in time out", "be quiet mommy", and my personal favorite "I don't love you".  A tantrum thrown by an over tired two year old pales in comparison to having your child tell you he doesn't love you.  Yes he's three.  No he doesn't mean it...but does it hurt?  Does it make me want to cry...umm...you bet your buns it does!  My sweet, loving, predictable little man seems to be missing at present.  I don't know what to expect from the look-a-like that took his place. 

Deep breath in...hold it...now exhale....okay.  I will make it through this phase.  This is just a phase.  Just a phase.  Just temporary.  In the grand scheme of things this is nothing.  Before I know it we'll be on to the next phase..hopefully a phase that doesn't make me want to curl into the fetal position and cry.

Smile For the Camera

Yesterday I was having a bad day...not for any real reason...I was just in a funk.  When my husband got home from work he put in a DVD he made from some old footage off of our video camera.  Let me just say...it's really hard to stay in a bad mood when you are watching footage of your first born child taking his first steps, dancing, and chasing the dogs around while squealing.  I just had to smile, and all of the sudden my day didn't seem so bad. 

Now, I should add that I HATE having my picture taken.  I hate being on camera too.  It seems like my husband always brings the camera out when my hair is a mess, and I'm wearing something that could pass for PJ's.  He's always telling me how important it is to capture memories and blah-blah-blah.  Well...don't tell him I said this, but...he's right.  I'm glad he didn't listen to me.  I'm glad he caught those moments...messy hair and all. 

From now on I am going to try to be more camera friendly...and who knows...maybe once and a while my husband will feel like pulling the video camera out when I don't look like a hot mess ;)  OR maybe I'll be the one behind the camera every now and then.

Starting Over

Okay, let's face it.  I have been a total slacker when it comes to keeping up this blog.  In my defence I think I have a few good excuses...one just turned three last month, and the other is 18 months old ;)  What can I say?  The last year has been all kinds of crazy.  I didn't have much time for me, and blogging is definitely a "me time" activity.  In an effort to make more time for me I am going to be blogging again.  I'll also be posting recipes and other random things that I like to pretend that other people want to read ;)